‘I’m on cloud nine’: Stingers captaincy caps off incredible month for water polo star Bronte Halligan

Recently, Bronte Halligan’s life has been a whirlwind of triumph capped off by the Stingers’ captaincy. But the Olympic silver medallist knows the real test is yet to come.

Bronte Halligan in action for the Australian Stingers. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

Six weeks of “head-spinning excitement” is about to come to a head for new Aussie Stingers captain Bronte Halligan as she prepares to lead a team that is no longer underdogs for the first time at this month’s World Championships in Singapore.

The two-time Olympian and one of the stars of the Stingers’ silver-medal campaign in Paris was this week confirmed as the team’s new skipper following the retirement of Zoe Arancini.

It caps off an incredible month where she not only won another national title with Italian water polo side Ekipe Orizzonte, but also got engaged to her boyfriend, Italian rugby player and coach, Luca Mammana.

But the 28-year-old knows the next fortnight at the world championships could take the intensity up a level as the Stingers prepare to stun the world again.

Halligan helped lead the Stingers to big wins over both the US and Italy ahead of this month’s World Championships in Singapore. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

“After the Olympics, I got to go home, my home now is Catania, and I could be with my partner and live our life for a few good months there, which was lovely,” Halligan said.

“Now, it’s been won the Italian championship, got engaged, come back to Australia, be with the group, named captain and go into World Champs. So, it’s been six weeks of head-spinning excitement and absolute elation. That’s the only way to describe it.

“I’m on cloud nine with all of it. I think I’m good at kind of keeping the pace up and being able to keep up with all the news and excitement. But I think post World Champs will be a good moment to have a month to reflect on everything that’s happened.”

Halligan, the daughter of former Bulldogs and Kiwi rugby league player Daryl, is no stranger to success, given her successful run of titles in Italy. But after the Stingers’ achievements in Paris, she knows there’s going to be even more scrutiny than normal on her side.

Ten members from the squad that won silver will compete in Singapore, along with five fresh faces, and the pressure is on to live up to the enhanced expectations.

Daryl Halligan with his daughter Bronte at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Picture: Supplied

“Zoe left some really big shoes to fill, which I’m really proud to be stepping into that role,” Halligan said. “I learned a lot from her and my other two captains in Bron Knox and Rowie Webster.

“We’ve kind of stepped back onto the world stage as a threat to be reckoned with, and that’s a really exciting position to be in. Externally, you can look at it as putting pressure on the team, but pressure is a massive privilege for us.

“Going back to my (Italian) club, they were definitely curious about the work we put in before Paris. Every team has their recipes and we really stick to our guns and we pulled it off in Paris.

“We’re lucky we can be in that position as the Olympic silver medallist. I think it’s a big challenge and the team’s up for the challenge to see if we can continue the success like we started in Paris.”

Halligan was a key member of the silver-medal winning team from Paris. Picture: Adam Head

The 28-year-old was announced as the new captain for the Stingers as they start their LA 2028 Olympic cycle. Picture: Water Polo Australia

The Stingers have had a near-perfect preparation for this month’s tournament, defeating both the US and Italy during their Tri-Series matches in Perth last week.

But all eyes will be on the Aussies in their first game against Singapore on Friday night to see if their incredible result at the Olympics was the start of a new era for water polo in Australia.

“There’s a buzz around the team after the two big wins against Italy and the US,” Halligan said.

“We’re proud of our result (in Paris), but now we’re looking to see what we can do outside of that result, step forward and grow in this environment.”

Originally published as ‘I’m on cloud nine’: Stingers captaincy caps off incredible month for water polo star Bronte Halligan